October 09, 2013: TapImmune (OTCQB: TPIV) is pleased to announce development of a revolutionary cost effective immunotherapeutic vaccine expression and delivery system.
The novel platform is termed TapImmune’s PolyStart[TM] technology and has been strategically designed to directly enhance the immune system’s ability to stimulate either or BOTH cytotoxic killer and helper T-cell reactive proprietary peptides, known and expected to be associated with one, or more importantly, ANY cancer, infectious disease or bio-threat.
Specifically the PolyStart and PAA (Peptide Antigen Array) technologies are straight forwardly and easily managed as a rapid versatile plugin-and-play system meaning that they can be configured to produce peptides for any desired pathogen. We believe that our combined PolyStart and PAA technologies provide the highest level of expression of any comparable system deployed to date. Our technology platform is functionally distinct from conventional single target immunotherapies such as Herceptin, and can be administered to a much broader patient population.
Formulations comprising our novel nucleic acid based technology can be administered (systemically or locally) by injection, nasally or by electroporation.
We further note that conventional monoclonal antibody immunotherapies such as Herceptin (a $5B per year drug) do not “kill” a cancer cell but instead slow the growth of a targeted cancer cell. However, and in stark contrast, our killer and/or helper T-cell activating PolyStart technology combined with our PAA technology (with or without our TAP) functions by “destroying” cancer cells.
We believe our current Phase 1 HER2/neu clinical trial at Mayo Clinic in (Rochester, MN), gives us the leading technical platform for development of vaccines against breast and colorectal cancers and can overcome the limitations or concerns of other therapeutic approaches including monoclonal antibodies and small molecule kinase inhibitors. Data from treatment of the first 6 patients in our current Phase I clinical trial indicates that the selected peptide antigens are safe, further immune response data is expected shortly and will be announced when available.
Our approach is to combine the use of peptide antigens with a DNA-vector approach (PolyStart[TM]) that expresses antigens and TAP. This technology, which represents a significant technical advance in the field of immunotherapy, has already been shown to display antigens on the surface of cells to enable their killing by T-killer cells. Additionally, in our approach we strategically select antigens to cover a large percentage of the patient population. This approach is applicable to many different cancers and to viral diseases including emerging bio-threats and pandemics.
CEO Glynn Wilson said, “We believe that our newly developed PolyStart[TM] technology represents a significant technical advance and the recently announced deal between Roche and Innovio for what could be in excess of $400 million is an excellent example of the type of early stage technology transactions that are possible given the right technology and the right environment.”
About TapImmune Inc.
TapImmune Inc. is a vaccine technologies company specializing in the development of innovative immunotherapeutics for use in the areas of oncology and infectious disease. The Company's lead product candidates include peptide and nucleic acid-based vaccine technologies designed to restore and/or augment antigen presentation and subsequent recognition and killing of cancer cells by the immune system. The Company is developing cancer vaccines that combine the use of novel antigens together with its TAP expression technology. Unlike other vaccine technologies that address only the initiation of immune responses, TAP expression also has the unique ability to enhance the effector function of mature killer T cells. This enhancement of effector function is potentially complementary to any/all vaccine approaches that are designed to enhance cellular responses.
CONTACTS:
Glynn Wilson, Ph.D.
Chairman & CEO
(206) 504-7278